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EU leaders approve Mersch for ECB

BRUSSELS (AP) -- European Union leaders have approved Luxembourg's top banker for a place on the executive board of the European Central Bank, overriding the advice of Parliament, which had wanted a woman for the job.

Leaders at the EU summit in Brussels decided Thursday to fill the key vacancy at the ECB, which is confronting a heavy workload during the eurozone debt crisis with missions to verify bailed-out countries' compliance with their loan agreements.

In an unprecedented move, the EU Parliament had voted against Yves Mersch's appointment last month to protest the lack of women among the ECB's top executives.